Shadow of a Man
by Pink Feline
Summary: Was called 'Escape'. AU: Harry is running away from the world and meets a cold faced group. Meanwhile the world is falling apart as friend is pitted against friend in the fight for survival in a radically changing world. R&R!
1. Escape

Note: I do not own the Harry Potter characters. Some characters will be mine. If this story is similar to any other then I apologize for it's purely coincidental. 

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I welcome the comfort of darkness. It takes away the memories, takes away the thoughts that torment me, and leaves me in blessed emptiness. I always thought that it would be the light that would comfort me, the light that would take away the pain. But just like all other things, I was wrong. They didn't care; I'm just their pawn in the fight for power. They kept me in the dark for years. Keeping secrets from me. I just did what they told me. I never questioned why. I didn't understand it back then, the fool I was. I was blind to everything around me. They kept me locked away from the rest of the world, claiming it was for my own protection and I believed them. They did do it for my best interests…..didn't they?

**_Look at me now, a shadow of the man I used to be  
Look through my eyes and through the years of loneliness you'll see  
  
To the times in my life when I could not stand to lose, a simple game  
And the least of it all was the fortune and the fame  
But the dream seemed to end just as soon as it had begun, was I to know?  
For the least thing of all that was on my mind, was the close at the  
End of the show  
The shadow of a lonely man, feels nobody else  
In the shadow of a lonely, lonely man_**

My innocence and my willingness to trust is where I was brought down. I was kept from the world so that I won't find out the truth. But I found out and suddenly I could see, I could open my eyes to the truth, and now I have a chance to escape. A chance to escape the clutches of the "light", a chance to escape their accusing stares, the whispers that follow me and the pain. Let them fight without me. Their lives are not my concern anymore. 

**_I can see myself  
  
(looking out of nowhere, looking out of nowhere)  
  
But the sounds of the crowds when they come to see me now, is not the same  
And the jest of it all is I can't recall my name  
But I'll cling to a hope till I can't hold on anymore, anymore  
And for all the acclaim I am all alone and I see as I look through the door  
  
The shadow of a lonely man, there's nobody else  
In the shadow of a lonely, lonely man  
I can see myself  
  
Look at me now, a shadow of the man I used to be_**

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	2. Darkness

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters etc. I'm only borrowing them.

Author note: I need reviews if you want me to continue the story. This is my first so be gentle. I would like suggestions also.

/thoughts \

"speech"

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The wizarding world was in panic. For the Boy who lived had disappeared. Why, was the question on most people's mind. Everybody took the news hard and fear and rumours of the dark lord rising started to surface despite the Ministry of Magic's efforts to hide the truth. Ron and Hermione were taking the news the hardest. 

Both were silent as they sat in front of the fire in the common room. Not a word was spoken, and the other Gryffindors respected their need to be alone. Harry had been their best friend for five years. None of them could understand why Harry had disappeared, some said that he was caught by death eaters, others say he joined the dark side, but nothing could be proven.

 Ron didn't know what to think. Harry had been acting odd lately. More silent and withdrawn. He had thought it was due to the events of the year before, with the death of Cedric, and the rising of the dark lord and everything. 

/ I should have known that there was more to it \.

 Harry had to do something for Albus a few weeks ago, though they didn't know what, and since he came back he was even more withdrawn. He never showed any emotion anymore. He would disappear between classes, he almost never ate, despite the efforts of Hermione, and he didn't talk back to the Malfoy git. 

/We could have tried to help more. Maybe then Harry would have been here, safe with us.\

 But he knew it was too late." We should have done something" Hermione murmured. She looked up at Ron her eyes red from crying. Ron was silent and watched the fire burning, deep in thought. Hermione looked down at her hands, knowing that Ron blamed himself for his friend's disappearance. She sighed and was silent again, hot tears burning her cheeks. The fire crackled, the only sound in the room. The warm glow it cast on the two friends did nothing to warm or comfort them. 

It was as if a cold wall separated the two from the rest of the world. The coldness were clutching at their hearts and minds. At each day that passed it seemed to get a little colder, feelings began to fade. They became distant from their friends, even each other. Hermoine would spend all her free time reading in the library, a piece of paper and a quill always close at hand. Her grades were still pretty much the same, though she did not volunteer answers as she usually did.

Ron also became quiet and reserved. He would often disappear through the day, never speaking of where he went. Malfoy couldn't even get any reaction from Ron with his taunting and jeers. The famous Weasley temper seemed to have disappeared, leaving only a shell of its former host.

Life had changed much since Harry's disappearance.


	3. Nightmares

A/N: I don't own harry potter, I might insert my own characters later. The lyrics are from Linkin Park.

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Chapter 3

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It's so hard to be, left all alone   
Telling you is the only chance for me  
There's nothing left but, to turn and face you   
When I look into your eyes, there's nothing there to see   
Nothing but my own mistakes staring back at me   
Asking why... 

These nightmares I can't escape from. They haunt my nights leaving me exhausted at night's end. Cedric's death still haunts me. He blames me, like everyone else. Blames me for my mistakes. I seem to have made a lot of mistakes in my life; mistakes that will haunt me till the day I die. But death seems to hate me. Takes away those I care about and leaves me to suffer. He likes to see me suffer, not offering me the relief of death.

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Now, nothing can stop in this land of the pain  
The same lose, not knowing they were part of the game  
And while the insides change, the box stays the same  
And the figure inside could bear anybody's name  
The memories I keep are from a time like then  
I put on my paper so I could come back to them  
Someday i'm hopin to close my eyes and pretend  
That this crumpled up paper can be perfect again

I don't know how long I have been on the run. How long it's been since I escaped from my prison. Many times I came close to being discovered. That would not have been good, they would probably take me back to that "prison". If they can even recognize me. I saw my reflection in a puddle once. I have grown very tall and pale, hidden by the dirt that streaked my very thin body. My black hair hung limp around my face, and black circles surrounded my eyes. My eyes have changed from the once vibrant emerald green that a lot of people have described my eyes of being to black. Simply said, I looked like a walking skeleton. I stared at the night sky and thought on how empty the sky looked, even with the millions of stars scattered around. It reminded me of how I felt. So many people calling them my friends, yet still filled with the cold and lonely feeling that never seem to disappear. People didn't seem to notice the changes that I have been through. They just saw 'The Golden Boy', they never knew the real me, the part of me that hid beneath. But what more can I expect, the world is ignorant, and that can't be changed.

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A/N:I need reviews if Im ever going to continue writing anything. This is me first fic so be gentle and help me a little!


	4. Stranger

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter! The characters that do not appear in the books are obviously mine.

A/N: Sorry people if my story is confusing, I'll try my best to explain everything one way or another. I'll also try to make my chapters longer as I admit they pretty short. I might also rewrite the story later on as I become more experienced at writing. I would also like suggestions!

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He was cold, and he was starting to feel pleasantly numb. Harry looked around once to make sure that no-one could see him. He gave a tired sigh and limped across the abandoned street. There wasn't a living thing around but him it seemed. 

The hollow sound of footsteps rang through the street alerting Harry of an oncoming person. He looked around in desperation for a hiding place, yet there was none. His eyes darted around the street. The footsteps were getting louder until they stopped just a few feet from where he stood trembling slightly, yet even as Harry turned a full circle on the spot he saw no person. Many conclusions for why the person couldn't be seen came to mind but were forgotten for as Harry turned a second time he came face to face with a tall pale faced stranger. The man had short neatly styled silver hair, and light, almost white, eyes. The man looked ageless, and the black cloak that he was wearing made him a frightful picture.

**_We're face to face  
Where loyalty is what I need to see from you  
You're insecure  
I can see the fear that breeds in your heart  
Where will you run?  
Where will you hide?  
I see the blood drip from your eyes  
Who will survive?  
Let's get it on and we will fight!_****__**

Harry stared at the man in a mixture of fear and suspicion. He was fighting with himself, wondering whether he should run or stand his ground. Harry suspected that even if he ran the man would find him, follow him. So he stood where he was eyeing the man warily, like a caged animal would eye the hunter.

The man watched the boy with an expressionless face, his eyes glassy. Slowly he extended a hand to the boy, not saying a word. He kept his hand in the air, even as Harry seemed to back away slightly, his eyes on the pale long-fingered hand that was extended to him. Harry looked at the man's face and then back to the hand with distrust. The man's quiet presence was more than a little unnerving.

A frown began to twist the pale face of the man into something that was not quite human, a dark look that caused a wave of icy cold fear to run through Harry's body. The air became colder and tense as time seemed to stop around them. Suddenly Harry found himself unable to control his own body. His hand was reaching out to the offered hand without his consent. No matter how hard he tried he could not pull back his hand. Panic began to run through his veins and he tried to jump away from the man yet he was frozen in place by an invisible force.

The man's claw like hand grabbed Harry's wrist. A cold feeling began to spread through his body, starting from his wrist and hand that was held in the stranger's grip. The coldness began to creep into his lungs and around his heart. Darkness began to envelope him and he fell to the ground unconscious. The stranger crouched down next to the fallen figure and lifted him. He turned and began to walk away, disappearing after only a few steps, Harry carried in his arms.

**_I know who you are  
The leader of lost souls  
You can't kill me  
I'm immortal  
I'm not afraid to die  
My soul will travel on  
You can't kill me  
I'm immortal_****__**

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